Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Tree Lore's LiveJournal:

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Thursday, February 19th, 2009
9:49 am [thomasrymour]	United States Botanical Gardens United States Botanical Gardens, Washington, D.C. 2/17/09 United States Botanical Gardens: (A HREF="http://www.usbg.gov/">http://www.usbg.gov/</a>) is one of the Nation's most important botanical gardens. It is located on the grounds of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., near Garfield Circle, at the east end of the National Mall. The facility is supervised by the Congress through the Architect of the Capitol who is the groundskeeper of the Capitol. Open daily even on federal holidays (except June 3) until 5 pm. It is the oldest and most continually-operating botanical gardens in the U.S. In 1838 Charles Wilkes set out on the United States Exploring Expedition commissioned by Congress to circumnavigate the globe and explore the Pacific Ocean. During this trip (the "Wilkes Expedition"), Wilkes collected live and dried specimens of plants and was one of the first to use wardian cases to maintain live plants on long voyages. Wilkes returned in 1842 with a massive collection of plants previously unknown in the United States. These dried specimens comprised the core of what is now the National Herbarium, a herbarium curated by the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History. The live specimens and seeds came to be housed in the Old Patent Office greenhouse, and were cared for there until 1850. At that time, a botanic garden was built to house the collection in front of the Capitol, where the Capitol reflecting pool is now located. The Building was moved to its present location in 1933 just to the southwest of the Capitol, bordered by Maryland Avenue on the north, First Street on the east, Independence Avenue on the south, and Third Street on the west. The Gardens are separated into the following sections; The Garden Court Rare and Endangered Plants (rare species, endangered species) Plant Exploration Orchid House (orchids) Medicinal Plants (medicinal plants) Desert (desert species) Oasis (oasis) Garden Primeval (primeval) Plant Adaptation Jungle (jungle species; this is the largest of the rooms, and includes a second-story catwalk so that the jungle canopy may be observed from both below and above) Children's Garden (courtyard; features many thriving temperate annuals used to encourage interest in plants) Southern Exposure (courtyard),on the south side of the building, is surrounded by glass walls, receiving more warmth. It features many plants from the Southeast and Southwest, which would not be able to live in the colder District of Columbia climate if not for the microclimate) The Oasis and administrative offices are the only places in the complex with air conditioning. Each room is closely monitored by a computer-operated sensors to maintain the environment best suited to the plants in that room. Humidity, sunlight and temperature are regulated by means of a misting system, retractable shades and levered windows. All plants are watered daily by hand. The gardens are fragrant, beautiful, and not to be missed when visiting Washington, D.C. Rating: 5+ stars out of 5. ( more photos ) (Comment on this)
Thursday, January 15th, 2009
10:03 am [bogenseeberg]	One more unusual tree and one amazing vine If you have an imagination, you can see a monkey in the tree. (Comment on this)
Thursday, April 10th, 2008
11:49 pm [asmaria]	Help identifying a tree? I'm looking for a tree that I can use in relation to an original character I'm writing, but I have yet to find the right tree. I've read a lot about various types of trees and their mythology, but nothing has quite stuck out to me as what fits my character. Instead, I figured I'd know the kind of tree I wanted when I saw it, and so when I was in Japan last week, I took some photos. Can anyone help me identify this tree? I apologize for the blurriness of it, but it was raining and I wasn't able to return to the site again before going home. This was in Kamakura, close to the coast near Tokyo, and up in the hills behind one of the shrines. A closeup of the leaves. A closeup of the trunk. If anyone can identify this tree, can you tell me where to find any related lore on it? Or failing that, something similar? I picked this tree because of the way the roots spill out, and the shade it provides, if that helps with anything. (Comment on this)
Sunday, March 16th, 2008
1:04 pm [yanjin]	Anyone has any idea what that green thing on the tree may be? It was too high for me to pluck one down to see... Thank you. x-posted to urban_nature , treelore (Comment on this)
Sunday, March 2nd, 2008
12:57 pm [thomasrymour]	The Makeup of Mother Earth: People as Viruses, Antibodies, or Cells. Wake Up. We Need You. Mother Earth: Little do the mass populace realize that our holy Earth (greek Goddess Gaia) is a very extraodinary living being. She's cognitive, She's moody, and She can pack a big wallop when pissed off. Her lifeways is the water on the planet, and everything that is made up of water is her cell structure. Everything living, carries a similar pattern. When life reproduces, it's no different than the cells in our bodies multiplying. Even when humans are made, we come from a tiny cell from the father joined with another tiny cell from the mother. Much like Mother Earth's creation in the Big Bang Theory. It's a reoccurent theme in our lives and our world. It's what keeps life moving, growing, changing. The cells divide making new cells, from one dividing into two, from two into four, four into eight, and they all look pretty much alike in the beginning, just like human babies often look pretty similar. But when the eight cells divide, the new cells begin to look different from one another, just as we humans look different from one another. In humans, some of those cells become bone cells that make up our skeletons, just like the living mineral mass cells of the earth, make up her core and solid earthy structure. In humans, some become blood cells ... and in the Earth, those blood cells are the living animals on this planet, of which humans belong. In Humans, some of those cells become muscle cells, in Gaia, those muscle cells are the trees and plants. They attach to the muscles and hold everything together strongly. Some of these muscle cells specialize, some become the heart muscle. In humans that makes up the heart, In Gaia that's what we call energy. Some cells become nerve cells. In humans that is often the pain we feel, in Gaia, that is often the devastating geo-morphological disruptions she feels (earthquakes, volcanos, craters, sinkholes, and abscesses. In humans, there are over two hundred different cells in our bodies, In Gaia it's the diversity we call nature. Each kind of cell is shaped differently because it has a different job to do, and each of these cells looks very different from one another. Each element of nature that makes up Gaia has different jobs to do too, and even when we specialize down to specific cells, like those humans belong to, we each have specific jobs to do on this planet. This is where it bugs me when people spend their lives seeking out their purpose in life and why they are here, and just simply don't see the bigger picture. On the outside of our bodies we have skin cells. On Gaia, this is the ozone layer and her protective outer core, and atmosphere. Skin cells protect the body (ours as well as Gaia's) by keeping out rain, dirt, and germs. Gaia's protective layers keep out harmful radiation and cosmic elements that could destroy her. Skin protects us from heat, cold, sharp and hard objects. Skin cells stack in layers of about ten cells thick, always making new skin cells on the inside layer, and then moving outwards as the cells get older and tougher. We see this not only in ourselves, but the layers of bark on a tree, and the atmospheric and protective outer core layers of the Earth (Gaia). When skin cells die, they flake off and form dust. Millions of skin cells die every day. Cells are alive, and they need nutrients to survive. Like I said, everything on the planet that contains water, is directly associated with Gaia's blood cells. We humans, are her blood cells. Blood cells carry nutrients and oxygen into the body. Red blood cells are those that carry oxygen to the cells. Without oxygen all of your cells cells would die. We (plants and animals) are the breathing force that keeps this planet Gaia alive. Red blood cells also take the carbon dioxide out of the cells into the blood where it goes to the lungs again and is breathed out of the body. Blood also carry white blood cells. The white blood cells are the defenders of the body. They fight bacteria and viruses that might make the living entity sick, including making Gaia sick. The body makes about one hundred fifty million (150,000,000) blood cells every minute of our lives to replace the ones that die. This is our reproduction and death cycle. Humans: There are essentially three groups of humans in their role to the Earth and the cycle of life. We have the white blood cells ... those of us that do something for this world - the environmentalists, the doctors, nurses, healers, musicians, artists, scientists, thinkers, movers, shakers, changers ... we who make change in this world. I proudly am a white blood cell. My purpose in life is to defend the memory of the dead cells so that the new cells can learn from the former life cycle - that which worked and that which didn't in the life cycle of the purpose of defending Gaia's life force from those elements that exist to harm her. Then there are the bacteria and viruses, some good and some bad. Sometimes these bacteria and viruses outnumber the white blood cells, and this is where the battle for the lifestream of Gaia struggles. This is where we are now. There are too many humans on this planet playing the role of harmful bacteria and viruses. They consume, they spread, they decay, they drill, they deplete, they destroy our beautiful Mother Earth. Of course both the white blood cells and the harmful bacteria and viruses have to co-exist, and they have to continuously battle one another. Their existence thrives on this. Some of the bacteria and viruses that drill, deplete, burn, and destroy elements of Mother Earth are actually beneficial in the long run, and exist to to make her stronger, make her evolve, and prepare for onslaught's by the bad ones. Then there are the blood cells that just exist and flow. They don't really do anything but make up Gaia's blood streams bulk composition. These are those who work, play, sleep, and exist ... not making any change in this world, They deplete, they breath, they produce oxygen. In human anacronisms, its the herd, the sheep, the mass mentality of doing what the white blood cells or the bacteria and viruses tell them to do. They don't think for themselves, they don't think about the bigger picture, and some of them waste their lives away until they die off, sometimes reproducing, sometimes not, often inducing themselves with stimulants and depressants (drugs, alcohol, chemicals) that make them just stagnate in a anti-productive stasis. I've been a part of this battle for a long time, and I'm getting close to half of my life cycle being over (assuming i live to 70 or 80 or so, since I'm asthmatic and while a very strong white blood cell, a damaged one) ... and I'm tired. I'm tired of being alone in this battle, or feeling alone, and watching our white blood cell numbers disintegrate and die off without reproduction. I'm tired of watching the harmful bacteria and viruses multiplying at a faster rate than the good side. I need to unite with my brothers and sisters on the productive side. We need to create a stronger army. I love my Gaia, and I want her to live forever. Brothers and Sisters will you join me in this war? Will you start thinking about the bigger picture? will you become good cells? will you recycle? will you think about the ozone? will you work towards making life better for the rest of us, greener, will you go to school and learn and spread that wisdom? will you invent things to keep the life cycle flowing? will you please become healers? musicians that make a beat for the rest of us to dance to be inspired to celebrate life? Be an artist to motivate the rest of us to cherish life and our cycle? to protect the weak and meager? Please? I will continue on in this war with or without you. But we need your help. Wake up. Think outside the box. Don't be of the herd. Don't be a brainless sheep. Don't just listen to what you see on TV, or your dictator tells you to do (those are the most harmful viruses by the way), don't fall into mass brainless functions like religious or political system that make you a brick in a wall that prevents us white blood cells from doing our job. Gaia needs you. If you don't, she's gonna rattle and roll in her ailing health, bringing more hurricanes, tornadoes, tidal waves, freezing storms, and disasters to literally wipe you off the face of the earth. In her self-defense, she'll kill alot of us white blood cells as well. But her target will be you. Love, Live, Grow, and Evolve. Flow, Grow, and Flame within her. Please. I pleade of you. I won't give up. Also please think about the toxins and chemicals that make us stagnate that we put in our bodies. I'm guilty of this too. The alcohol, the drugs, the chemicals. In the long run, it's damaging our beings, and making our lives shorter and shorter. For you harmful ones out there, please do addict and destroy yourselves, we really don't want you. But for those of us making a change, please cut back. We need you. Certainly everything in balance and never in excess. We need relaxation. But its the excess that gets us in trouble globally. I'm fighting this within myself right now. I have to watch the toxins I put in myself just as its my duty to watch out for the toxins that enter Gaia's body. What kind of environmentalist can I be if I can't take of myself. This year, I'm changing this. I will heal what I have damaged and I will become stronger to defend Gaia and our memory, our intelligence, and our ability to become stronger. It is time for battle, It is time for war. Take no hostages. Ok, I'm off my soapbox now. I hope my words inspire some of you to join the antibodies and white blood cell force. We want you. inspired by the song: Cantus by Faith and the Muse, on Annwyn, Beneath the Waves .... Inspired by the gospel of the Gaia Hypothesis: The Gaia hypothesis is an ecological hypothesis that proposes that living and nonliving parts of the earth are a complex interacting system that can be thought of as a single organism. Named after the Greek earth goddess, this hypothesis postulates that all living things have a regulatory effect on the Earth's environment that promotes life overall. The study of planetary habitability is partly based upon extrapolation from knowledge of the Earth's conditions, as the Earth is the only planet currently known to harbour life. The release of this image prompted the formulation of the proposition that the Earth was alive, and fostered acceptance of that proposition. Current Mood: concerned Current Music: Cantus: Faith and the Muse, from Annwyn Beneath the Waves (Comment on this)
Sunday, October 14th, 2007
8:07 am [shena520]	Shot this a few years ago on my trip to Middle Earth. Definitely one of the more unusual trees I've seen. It's actually 4 or 5 trees that have all kind of merged into this odd creation. This was actually in Washington state. It does look like a scene out of Lord of the Rings though, doesn't it? I'm not normally into the whole tourist shot of me standing in front of things, I just did it for scale. (Mike Jones, 11-06) http://flickr.com/photos/mikejonesphoto/477899519/in/set-72157600168458516/ (Comment on this)
Wednesday, April 11th, 2007
8:54 pm [thomasrymour]	2 April 2007: Money Trees, Folklore, and Faeries ... Monday 2 April 2007 :: Janet's Foss :: Malham, England - Yorkshire:: Money Trees at Janet's Foss (Malham, England) On my trip to England, hiking across the Yorkshire Dales, I came upon an English tradition that I still do not know the full story of. I've asked over a dozen different people through my travels on Dales countryside and most could not remember the belief or myth behind the practice of hammering coins (mainly pennies or 2 cent quids) into fallen trees, trunks, or logs. These are most commonly referred to as "money trees" or "Wish Trees. Some believe, and have told me it's a common practice similar to throwing coins in wells - for wishes. Others state it is for safe passage. Romans would always offer a coin to the Gods before crossing water. Others as a tithing or offering to the tree spirits as an apology for human intrusion and destruction of the woods or impeding on a fairy path. Coins are sometimes used, hammered deep into the tree trunk, however the practice of tying pieces of cloth to the tree may also qualify, although this is more often directly associated with nearby Clootie wells as they are known in Scotland and Ireland or Cloutie or Cloughtie in Cornwall. It is likely that an offering is also being made to the tree spirit as elsewhere the ritual is to place objects into water, so here they are 'hedging their bets' and effectively making an offering to both.A rare example of a 'Wish Tree' exists near Ardmaddy House in Argyle, Scotland. The tree is a Hawthorn which are traditionally linked with fertility, as in 'May Blossom'. The trunk and branches are covered with hundreds of coins which have been driven through the bark and into the wood. The local tradition is that a wish will be granted for each of the coins so treated. [3] On the island of St Maol Rubha or St Maree, in Loch Maree, Gairloch in the Highlands is an Oak Wish Tree made famous by a visit in 1877 by Queen Victoria and its inclusion in her published diaries. The tree, and others surrounding it, are festooned with hammered in coins. It is near the healing well of St Maree, to which votive offerings were made. Records show that bulls were sacrificed openly up until the 18th century. Others state for a sacred spring or foss. Trees have long been associated with wells and waterfalls. An old sycamore is the 'money tree' at the holy well of St Fintan near Portlasie, Ireland. Tradition states that St Fintan dropped some water on the tree and the damp hollow in the trunk bears a trickle of holy water. Pilgrims used to tie clothing to the tree, but more recently hammered coins into the bark, so that its base is now more metal than wood. There are several myths/beliefs involving that the money is offerings to the faeries for protection, blessings, wishes, or safe passage. Here's a belief posted on a blog stating "...We even saw a money tree on the way home - it was absolutely covered from head to toe with coppers and 20 and 10 and 5ps. And they could be taken at your leisure. But now - legend has it that the pixies long ago took money off travellers who would be given invisibility to protect them against the giant serpent that lurked in the waters. That's right - genuine 2002 coins way back in the early centuries. By gum they kept up with the times in those days. Anyway - if anyone picked a coin from the tree it would anger the pixies and you would be in danger of their wrath ..." Hammered Coins into a Trunk   Penny offerings for good luck and as gifts to the Fae Wishing Tree ... </div> Cut log with pennies hammered in   Current Mood: intrigued (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, October 1st, 2006
1:21 pm [thomasrymour]	The STD Tree ... Scary .... Close-ups of the Disease; Original post Here, stolen from arborphilia, of course ... Current Mood: intrigued (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, June 28th, 2006
6:48 pm [thomasrymour]	Some pictures of plants and rocks, Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado Saturday, 24 June 2006 Colorado Springs - Manitou Springs, Colorado Garden of the Gods Colorado Springs, Colorado Garden of the Gods, 1805 N 30th Street (at Gateway Rd.), Colorado Springs, CO 80904 * 719.634.6666 http://www.gardenofgods.com/ Garden of the Gods, is a unique natural geological park that is located in Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs ... and is a Registered National Natural Landmark. It's open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. in the summer and 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the winter. The original family that donated the land to the public required that it would always remain free, and that is what it remains today. A great park for hiking, walking, bicycling, rock climbing, picnicking, special events, and weddings ... Garden of the Gods has it all ... and a unique tourist / information center, with a theater and gift shop. With 15 miles of trails ranging in various levels of difficulty from beginner to advanced, its a great place for hiking and exercise. A historical video greets you at the welcome center and tells the tale that began in the 1870's when the railroads carved westward, when General William Jackson Palmer founded the city of Colorado Springs and upon discovering this natural beauty, urged his friend Charles Elliott Perkins, the head of Burlington Railroad, to make his home in the Garden of the Gods and finish his railway from Chicago to Colorado Springs. Even though he didn't succeed with his rails to the Springs, he did make a summer home in 1879 by purchasing 480 acres, though he never built on it, leaving the land in its natural state and for the public. When he died in 1907, he made arrangements for the land to be a public park, and this was enacted by his children in 1909 forever as the Garden of the Gods "where it shall remain free to the public, where no intoxicating liquors shall be manufactured, sold, or dispensed, where no building or structure shall be erected except those necessary to properly care for, protect, and maintain the area as a public park." That is exactly what they've done .... and its a beautiful place to be. Rating 5 stars out of 5.   Garden of the Gods Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado ( Garden of the Gods, incredible monuments of rock ) Current Mood: mesmerized Current Music: Tristraum (Comment on this)
Saturday, December 10th, 2005
9:16 am [thomasrymour]	O Druid Tree, O Druid Tree snagged from redselchie ... O Druid tree, O Druid tree BOSTON — Some years ago, my husband was a last-minute draft pick to play the role of godfather at a young friend's naming ceremony. Admittedly, his relationship to organized religion was a bit dicey, but you know how it is in the understudy business. In any case, at the end of the home ceremony, he leaned over and stage-whispered into the ear of the infant the promise that her training as a Druid would now commence. You may be relieved to know that Laura was raised in a somewhat more traditional church. But now it appears that her few homilies on Druidry may come in handy. This year, as you may know, a Christmas tree donated by Nova Scotia arrived in Boston disguised as a Holiday tree. After much too much ado, it was finally lit as a Christmas tree. Meanwhile in Washington, the Capitol Holiday Tree was also rechristened by Dennis Hastert as the Capitol Christmas Tree. In Georgia too, the tree at the governor's mansion underwent a similar conversion. ( more ) (Comment on this)
Sunday, September 4th, 2005
1:32 pm [thomasrymour]	Mesquite Mesquite Prosopis Glandulosa Washune has had many uses for New Mexico's native people and early settlers. Its branches provided shelter, fuel, and food. The bean pods were delicacies and the seeds were cooked or dried and ground into meal. A good honey was made from the nectar of its flowers. From the root fibers beautiful baskets were made. Its gum served as a glue, dye on pottery, and as a medication for sore throats. The foliage provides browse for livestock and wildlife. ~ (biological marker at Bottomless Lakes State Park) Mesquite ©2005 Technogypsie.com, click photo for larger view Mesquite ©2005 Technogypsie.com, click photo for larger view (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Friday, March 18th, 2005
7:24 pm [thomasrymour]	Treelore Fun ... Get tree lore from the Pacific Crest Trail .... The founder of Tree Lore is taking a hike ... along the Pacific Crest Trail ... Sponsor the hike, and mention you are from Tree Lore ... and he'll send you a souvenir of writing about a tree found along the hike, or send bark, twig, root, stem, or flower from a tree along the trip .... Well a friend of mine just sent me a link to her Ebay sale of Her divorce ... so why not, I'll sell sponsorship for my hike 276.3 miles (geesh I feel like I'm in high school again when you used to go door-to-door and get pledges for every mile you walked in the walk-a-thon) ... but hey, I'm unemployed, broke, and yes its a stunt ... So, Sponsor this hike, and you'll get: ~ Listed as a contributor ~ access to a special journal posting the trip (most of which will be published after the hike) with pictures and travel logs ~ acknowledgment as a sponsor/contributor in the publications I'm writing about the trip, and inclusion in the Techno-Gypsie book I've been writing for ages ~ plus a souvenir from the hike! Yes for upwards of hundreds of miles, I will carry, in my already burdensome backpack some unique natural souvenir from the trail that I'll mail off to you with a note and/or postcard from the re-supply points ... ~ and if I don't survive this treacherous adventure, your contribution will go towards purchasing my grave! ~ and if I survive, you'll have the benefit of feeling that you've helped someone pursue part of his lifelong dream and made this a reality! If I chicken out or cancel this adventure, you'll get a full refund! Money back guarantee! Pledge Here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5566835819 Or Donate directly!!!! Campo to Big Bear City April 1st, 2005 - April 29th, 2005 276.3 mi 31503 ft elevation gain 9.6 mi/day 28.7 days Souvenirs will be mailed from the following Resupply points: Mt. Laguna Warner Springs Anza Idylwild Cabazon Current Mood: inspired (Comment on this)
Friday, February 25th, 2005
1:52 pm [thomasrymour]	Treelore/Herblore Community .... Greetings Fellow members! Anyone in Germany? I will be in Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, and Vienna, Austria from March 1-15th. Would love to meet fellow Treelore/Herblore enthusiasts there .... Don't forget about our Herblore/Treelore sections at www.technogypsie.com/herbs/, www.technogypsie.com/treelore/. If anyone wants to have a username/password account to post on these boards, please check with me. Tree and Plant lore, information, and data or relevant material only. Our yahoogroups is at www.yahoogroups.com/groups/treelore/ our Livejournal community is at www.livejournal.com/community/treelore/ Enjoy! Your Moderator - Leaf McGowan Current Mood: creative (Comment on this)
Monday, January 24th, 2005
7:40 pm [thomasrymour]	Global Warming Tomorrow ... copied from anthropology Global Warming Tommorow... Again, something the American mob should have considered before they reelected shrubby the Bush. Countdown to global catastrophe Climate change: report warns point of no return may be reached in 10 years, leading to droughts, agricultural failure and water shortages By Michael McCarthy, Environment Editor 24 January 2005 The global warming danger threshold for the world is clearly marked for the first time in an international report to be published tomorrow - and the bad news is, the world has nearly reached it already. The countdown to climate-change catastrophe is spelt out by a task force of senior politicians, business leaders and academics from around the world - and it is remarkably brief. In as little as 10 years, or even less, their report indicates, the point of no return with global warming may have been reached. The report, Meeting The Climate Challenge, is aimed at policymakers in every country, from national leaders down. It has been timed to coincide with Tony Blair's promised efforts to advance climate change policy in 2005 as chairman of both the G8 group of rich countries and the European Union. And it breaks new ground by putting a figure - for the first time in such a high-level document - on the danger point of global warming, that is, the temperature rise beyond which the world would be irretrievably committed to disastrous changes. These could include widespread agricultural failure, water shortages and major droughts, increased disease, sea-level rise and the death of forests - with the added possibility of abrupt catastrophic events such as "runaway" global warming, the melting of the Greenland ice sheet, or the switching-off of the Gulf Stream. The report says this point will be two degrees centigrade above the average world temperature prevailing in 1750 before the industrial revolution, when human activities - mainly the production of waste gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2), which retain the sun's heat in the atmosphere - first started to affect the climate. But it points out that global average temperature has already risen by 0.8 degrees since then, with more rises already in the pipeline - so the world has little more than a single degree of temperature latitude before the crucial point is reached. More ominously still, it assesses the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere after which the two-degree rise will become inevitable, and says it will be 400 parts per million by volume (ppm) of CO2. The current level is 379ppm, and rising by more than 2ppm annually - so it is likely that the vital 400ppm threshold will be crossed in just 10 years' time, or even less (although the two-degree temperature rise might take longer to come into effect). "There is an ecological timebomb ticking away," said Stephen Byers, the former transport secretary, who co-chaired the task force that produced the report with the US Republican senator Olympia Snowe. It was assembled by the Institute for Public Policy Research in the UK, the Centre for American Progress in the US, and The Australia Institute.The group's chief scientific adviser is Dr Rakendra Pachauri, chairman of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The report urges all the G8 countries to agree to generate a quarter of their electricity from renewable sources by 2025, and to double their research spending on low-carbon energy technologies by 2010. It also calls on the G8 to form a climate group with leading developing nations such as India and China, which have big and growing CO2 emissions. "What this underscores is that it's what we invest in now and in the next 20 years that will deliver a stable climate, not what we do in the middle of the century or later," said Tom Burke, a former government adviser on green issues who now advises business. The report starkly spells out the likely consequences of exceeding the threshold. "Beyond the 2 degrees C level, the risks to human societies and ecosystems grow significantly," it says. "It is likely, for example, that average-temperature increases larger than this will entail substantial agricultural losses, greatly increased numbers of people at risk of water shortages, and widespread adverse health impacts. [They] could also imperil a very high proportion of the world's coral reefs and cause irreversible damage to important terrestrial ecosystems, including the Amazon rainforest." It goes on: "Above the 2 degrees level, the risks of abrupt, accelerated, or runaway climate change also increase. The possibilities include reaching climatic tipping points leading, for example, to the loss of the West Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets (which, between them, could raise sea level more than 10 metres over the space of a few centuries), the shutdown of the thermohaline ocean circulation (and, with it, the Gulf Stream), and the transformation of the planet's forests and soils from a net sink of carbon to a net source of carbon." (Comment on this)
Friday, January 21st, 2005
10:49 am [helen99]	Trees: planting, magical lore & myth, care & growing, and (unverified) medicinal uses My journal at yldann contains an ongoing compilation of material I found on the web and in books concerning various trees. Much of the material is unverified, since people have a tendency to copy from one website to the next and the sources are sometimes lost in the shuffle - but it could be worth testing some of it. None of the tree material on that journal is my own, unfortunately - it's all derived from other places. Maybe next time around the ogham I'll focus more on my own experience of each tree. I think this is what I was really supposed to be doing all along when I got bogged down in doing external research - just going out and finding the actual tree, sitting with it, and seeing how we affect each other. (Comment on this)
Friday, December 3rd, 2004
1:30 am [queengodzilla]	Tree Lore: Pine Trees? Hello, I would like some information from you, if you would help me. I figure that this would be the best place to ask my question since my question involves trees and this place is indeed called treelore. Ever since I could remember I think I've had a strong connection with pine trees and pine forests. I remember the first time that the connection *REALLY* hit me was a few years ago in a massive pine tree forest in Virginia. My family was taking a walk and I remember seeing all the evergreen trees around me and I was amazed that I couldn't see where the forest edge ended! Pine and pine needles were all that was visible for as far as the eye could see. I almost felt the magic in there, I swear it. I feel the most connected to nature/energy when I'm in a forest of tall pines like slash pines, loblolly pines or longleaf pines. In such a place I feel an irrational exuberance and I want to do childish things like hug trees or dance around or maybe even explore until I get utterly lost. No other type of tree works as well as these tall pines do, not even Christmas trees or other types of squat evergreens. (I suppose a possible explanation for the connection would be my Zodiac elemental alignment: I'm a Virgo and our element is Earth; in Chinese astrology I am a Rat and my element is Wood.) What I'm asking for is your thoughts on my connection, plus any sort of significance/symbolisms about pine trees. (Perhaps even in what kind of spells/rituals pines are usually used in.) Thank you for your time, Jessica Current Music: "Over Drive" by Move (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, October 23rd, 2004
3:13 pm [thomasrymour]	Don't Forget!!!! Come to the Tree Leaves 1st Annual Witches Faerie Ball!!! TONIGHT - SATURDAY OCT 23, 2004 1st Annual Witches Faerie Ball Merchant's Cafe, Pioneer Square, in Downtown Seattle, WA 9:00 PM - 2:00 AM FEATURING: The Xploding Boys (Cure Tribute), DJ's catherinna & perpetual_gb! Costume Contest, Card readings by thomasrymour, maryviolet, rockettqween, & Raven ... See For more details or view the Poster below for specifics! Current Mood: excited (Comment on this)
Saturday, October 9th, 2004
6:37 pm [thomasrymour]	10/23 Seattle, WA - Tree Leaves 1st Annual Witches Faerie Ball The Tree Leaves Oracle (www.treeleavesoracle.com) Will be Resurrected the Evening of October 23rd, 2004 BE THERE FOR THE AWAKENING!!! First Annual Witches Faerie Ball Saturday, October 23rd, 2004: 9 pm - 2 am Merchant's Cafe at Pioneeer Square 109 Yesler Way, Seattle, Washington 98104 ( Read more... ) Current Mood: excited (Comment on this)
Friday, October 8th, 2004
4:48 pm [thomasrymour]	A beautiful gallery of sacred trees ... http://home.earthlink.net/~asatru/tree/treeframe.html Current Mood: mesmerized (Comment on this)
Friday, September 24th, 2004
3:15 am [thomasrymour]	Mark your Calendar - Come out and Support Tree Leaves ... Bands are Tentative until confirmed Coming Soon, Website, Hotline, and Paypal Pre-Pay for tickets! (2 Comments |Comment on this)